The Department of Justice dropped its criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday, removing a major obstacle to President Donald Trump's nomination of Kevin Warsh to replace him. Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington, announced the decision on social media, closing the investigation while referring cost overruns from the Fed's headquarters renovation to the central bank's internal inspector general. Senator Thom Tillis had placed a hold on Warsh's Senate confirmation until the probe was dropped. Warsh attended his confirmation hearing this week. Powell's tenure ends in May.
President Trump is sending special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad this weekend to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Araqchi arrived in the Pakistani capital Friday for a three-country regional tour. Vice President JD Vance, whose 21-hour negotiating session failed earlier this month, stands ready to travel if talks advance. Trump extended the ceasefire indefinitely on Tuesday to give Tehran more time to present a unified proposal. Iranian state media reported that no meeting with Americans is scheduled during Araqchi's Islamabad visit.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday he underwent successful radiation treatment for early-stage prostate cancer after a routine MRI detected a lesion smaller than one millimeter. The 76-year-old leader said he chose treatment over monitoring and continued working during brief sessions. He delayed publishing his medical report for two months at the height of the conflict with Iran to prevent Tehran from using it for propaganda. Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House in the coming weeks as the US brokers a peace deal in the Israel-Iran war.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche authorized seeking death sentences against nine people after rescinding the Biden-era moratorium on federal executions. The Justice Department will readopt lethal injection protocols from Trump's first term and expand execution methods to include firing squads. The three inmates excluded from Biden's last-minute clemency commutations are the perpetrators of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, the Mother Emanuel Church mass shooting, and the Boston Marathon bombing.
Trump administration sanctions Hengli Petrochemical and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers transporting Iranian oil, the Treasury Department announced Friday. The Dalian refinery processes 400,000 barrels per day and has generated hundreds of millions for the Iranian military since 2023. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration will continue constricting Iran's network moving oil to global markets. The measures come weeks before President Trump meets China's Xi Jinping and follow escalating tensions amid possible nuclear talks with Tehran.
Alphabet is investing $10 billion in Anthropic with potential for an additional $30 billion based on performance targets, valuing the AI startup at $350 billion. Amazon simultaneously announced it will invest a further $25 billion in Anthropic on top of the $8 billion it had already committed, with Anthropic pledging more than $100 billion in Amazon Web Services spending over the next decade. Alphabet shares rose 1 percent on the news to around $343, pushing the company's market capitalization above $4.15 trillion.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Thursday for ceasefire talks between Iran and the United States. Three U.S. aircraft carriers are operating simultaneously in the region for the first time since 2003. Brent crude has surged to over $107 per barrel, nearly 50 percent higher than before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks. At least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, and 13 U.S. service members have died.
A senior Iranian lawmaker, Mahmoud Nabavian, called nuclear negotiations with the United States in Pakistan a strategic mistake that made the enemy bolder, saying Iran should never have placed its nuclear program on the table. Washington demanded Iran freeze its 60 percent enriched uranium stockpile for 20 years, a condition Tehran rejected. Follow-up talks between parliament speaker Ghalibaf and US Vice President Vance were postponed due to Iranian dissatisfaction over the naval blockade and internal disagreements. President Trump said he was in no rush and time was working against Iran.
United Airlines and Lufthansa are cutting routes and raising fares as jet fuel prices have doubled from roughly $90 to $180 per barrel following the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby announced tickets may need to rise 15 to 20 percent. Lufthansa cancelled 20,000 short-haul flights over six months to save fuel. Korean Air has entered emergency management mode while Air France-KLM plans to add 50 euros to long-haul tickets. The surge threatens to push airfares higher through the year.
The Iran conflict has stranded thousands of Indian seafarers at Iranian ports and forced nearly one million Indian migrant workers to return from Gulf states. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. Two Indian-flagged vessels were fired upon by Iran's IRGC on April 18. Three Indian sailors have been killed. Businesses are paying up to $4 million per crossing to reroute ships through the Panama Canal. India's shipping ministry has repatriated approximately 2,680 seafarers. Economists warn a prolonged conflict could trigger a significant labor shock across India.
Seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, resigned and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday in New Delhi. The group, representing two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha strength, also includes Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikram Sahni. Chadha, recently removed as AAP's Rajya Sabha leader, accused the party of prioritizing personal gain over national interest. The defection deals a significant blow to the Arvind Kejriwal-led party weeks after internal leadership changes.
A leaked Pentagon email shows the United States is weighing punitive measures against Nato allies who withheld Access, Basing, and Overflight rights for operations against Iran. Options include reviewing American backing for Britain's Falkland Islands claim, suspending Spain from the alliance, and blocking "difficult" countries from prestigious military posts. Spain refused to allow its bases or airspace for the campaign, while Britain initially hesitated before granting access. Admiral Lord West dismissed the military impact of losing US diplomatic support for the Falklands but called the threatened review an "insult."
Australians marked Anzac Day 2026 with dawn services across the country. Loud booing erupted at Sydney's The Cenotaph during the Acknowledgement of Country delivered by Uncle Ray Minniecon. Melbourne expected approximately 50,000 people at the Shrine of Remembrance, where this year's service honoured peacekeeping operations in the Middle East. Brisbane and Canberra also held large dawn services. Anzac Day commemorates the April 25, 1915 Gallipoli landing and more than 100,000 Australians who have died in war since then.
Hyundai launched its all-electric Ioniq V at Auto China 2026 in Beijing on Friday, marking the South Korean automaker's most ambitious push into the world's largest automotive market since entering China in 2002. The midsize SUV features CATL batteries with over 600 km of range, AI-powered voice assistant, and advanced driver-assistance systems developed with Chinese startup Momenta. Hyundai and BAIC invested $1.17 billion in Beijing Hyundai last year. The company pledged to launch 20 electrified models over five years with a goal of reaching 500,000 annual sales.
Canadian AI company Cohere has agreed to acquire German AI startup Aleph Alpha. Schwarz Group is committing $600 million to Cohere's Series E funding round as part of the transaction. The deal will leave Cohere shareholders with roughly 90 percent of the combined company and Aleph Alpha shareholders with about 10 percent. Aleph Alpha brings contracts with the German Ministry for Digital Affairs and the Baden-Württemberg regional government. Cohere, valued at $7 billion in 2025, has raised $1.6 billion from investors including Nvidia and AMD. The deal is subject to regulatory approval with closing expected in 2026.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized European and Asian nations for failing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, telling them to "get in a boat" instead of holding conferences. The US naval blockade on Iran began April 13 and has turned away 34 ships while expanding across the Pacific and Indian oceans. The strait carries approximately 20 percent of the world's oil. Washington will lift the blockade only if Iran reopens the waterway and abandons nuclear weapons development in verifiable ways.